Deep Within the Lost Woods
by Blessed by Farore
Summary: "Are you sure you need to tell them?"


The Lost Woods had always been a dangerous labyrinth of trees and thorns, even before Ganon's influenced warped it further. Adults who got lost in it turned into stalfos, and children into skull kids. You had to be pretty special to resist its power. Shadow's magic itself protected him from the cursed forest, he had nothing to fear. There was also the fact that he couldn't get lost, since he could just teleport himself out of the woods at any moment. So, the curse would be completely useless against him, no matter how one looked at it. The heroes, however, should have gotten lost. But Ganon had hinted that they may have shared an immunity – that the forest itself would assist them.

The idea was almost ridiculous. Yet Shadow was witnessing it with his own eyes. The purple-clad hero may not have known where he was going, yet he had somehow managed to find the safest (relatively speaking) route out of the woods. Not only that, but it was in the direction of the village that the red hero had been sent to. According to the texts Shadow had read, Heroes of Hyrule had always had a connection to the forest and wind. And Vio, his element would have been earth, only deepening that connection with the land. It may have been impossible for him to get lost in here.

However, that wasn't an issue. The plan wasn't for Vio to turn into a monster, just be a bit isolated from his irritating teammates. Though Shadow had already seen to Red's Four Sword being out of commission, that didn't mean that Shadow should stop there. After all, both Vaati and Ganon had high expectations of him. It would be in his best interest to see to it that their victory is guaranteed.

Shadow had spent a lot of time watching the four Links through the Dark Mirror. He had to. If there was any chance they could stop him, he'd need to be prepared for it. Except, what Shadow had discovered quite quickly while watching them, they weren't exactly planning ahead. The Links were even more disorganized than the forces of darkness. The green one was a poor leader who had his plans questioned at every turn. The blue one was so reckless and arrogant, refusing to listen to reason. The red one had no sense of self-preservation, getting involved into fights between the blue and green one. It was pathetic. At first, shadow wanted to get mad at the fact that the years he'd spent training for this were useless. But he quickly gained interest in watching them, so he'd gotten over that.

After all, there was an enigma.

Vio. That was his name, according to the others. He was the hardest hero to analyze. It didn't help that the others seemed to isolate him – the only talked to him when they needed him to do something, or to yell at him to do better. Other than that, it was like when he wasn't speaking he didn't exist to them. He was quiet, cunning, analytical. He was the only one that could really think for himself. A dangerous enemy, who held quite a lot of power. But he'd make a very powerful ally if he were shown the truth about everything. All he'd need is a little nudge in the right direction.

That was what Shadow had decided to offer. A little nudge.

It became quite clear to Shadow that he couldn't just waltz up to Vio and demand him to join the forces of darkness. He also knew that that wasn't necessary. Vio wanted respect, so all Shadow had to give him was just that. He'd have to show off a little bit, to make a good impression. But other than that, he'd just have to show Vio that he was someone to be trusted. So, no going overboard, just a nice entrance with a bit of flair and confidence. He'd just need to wait for the right moment.

Of course, despite how long he had tracked Vio for, the opportunity didn't present itself until Vio had finished talking to some Deku Scrubs.

"Ganon? I know that name. That's a name reserved for Gerudo Kings. Why would a group of forest-dwelling Deku Scrubs worship a human from the desert?" something flashed in Vio's eyes, "I've got to tell the other's right away!"

Shadow relaxed, leaning as casually as he could against the tree, taking extra care to ensure that he was lit by the moonlight, "Are you sure you need to tell them?"

"Shadow Link!"

Shadow smirked and jumped down gracefully, "I mean, what's the point of telling them anything?"

Vio regarded him warily, so Shadow continued while walking past the hero, "They never listen. Just fight and argue. Eventually you'll realize you don't need them. You're so much better than those fools. Definitely a lot more cleaver."

"I see what you're doing" Vio drew his sword and pointed at him, a feeble attempt to keep him at a distance, "You're trying to turn me against the others! I can assure you, that's not going to work."

He was on edge. Frightened. Like a startled raven, cautious and waiting for a sign to take flight. Shadow supposed that reaction was natural for someone who had spent hours walking alone in a twisted, possibly sentient, woods. But Shadow knew how to play this, he'd been in a similar position. Well, he knew how Vio was feeling and exactly what _not_ to do. He knew turning harsh would only foster resentment. So, he'd need to gentle, calming, reassuring.

Shadow waited a moment for Vio to react, only to cock his head in invitation. When Vio failed to do anything, he placed a finger against the blade. A slight hum of power, but nothing threatening ran through him. With very little force he moved the blade out of the way.

"Only you can see the big picture. The good and the bad. They can't. And they never will" Slowly, Shadow moved closer, keeping his finger on the blade so that he could maneuver it away, "I don't know how you stand it. Being around them for so long. You have to put up with so much. You deserve so much more, Vio."

Vio didn't flinch when Shadow touched his hand, though his eyes remained wide, "You don't… You don't know what you're talking about."

"I don't know what it's like to be tossed to the side like nothing? To be ignored? To have no one listen to me, respect me? Being treated like a ghost" Shadow smirked, "Or rather, a shadow? Please. You and I, we're more familiar with the back of those idiots' heads than the front. So, I think I know what I'm talking about."

Shadow still met no resistance from Vio, even as he placed his hands on his shoulders, "I want to know what you think. I'll listen. The others don't want to think at all, just fight and bicker. But I'm different, Vio. So, tell me everything."

"Let… let go" Vio clenched his teeth.

But Shadow continued without comment, "I want to hear it all. We're so similar, you and I. You'll find yourself much happier by my side, than you were by theirs."

The hero in purple seemed stunned. His gaze seemed unfocused, like he wasn't really paying attention to what was going on around him. Shadow left his touch soft, so Vio could move out of it if he felt the need to do so. He was a bit concerned though, he hoped he didn't cause the hero to shut down. That wasn't the goal. Shadow just had to hope he was digesting the information and coming to a decision.

He was pleasantly surprised at the sound of a sword hitting the earth. Vio seemed unable to support his own weight for a moment, and Shadow moved to better support him.

"Maybe… maybe you're right" If Shadow hadn't had been so close, he might have missed that whisper, "The others would never listen to me anyway."

Shadow couldn't hold back his grin.


End file.
